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MST3K 608 - Code Name: Diamond Head
The Short A Day at the Fair Synopsis A farming family prepares for their yearly trip to the Indiana State Fair, both to show off their wares enjoy the offerings of the 3-H Club. Information *This short was included on Shorts Vol 2, released by Rhino Entertainment on VHS in October 1999, and on DVD as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 3, a 4-DVD set with The Side Hackers, The Unearthly and The Atomic Brain. Obscure References *''"Grazin' in the grass is a gas baby. can you dig it?"'' A quote from the song "Grazing in the Grass" covered by The Friends of Distinction. The Movie Synopsis Johnny Paul (Thinnes) arrives in Oahu disguised as a flashy gambler and ladies' man. However, he is actually on a mission to stop the theft of a deadly new gas, which has the potential to cause instant death upon contact. The substance was being secretly created by a top battalion of Marines at the request of a Pentagon official. However, a double agent had infiltrated the unit, killed the executive, and assumed his identity. Paul uses his image to get close to the double agent, who is known by the pseudonym "Tree". However, once his cover is blown, it's a race against time to stop Tree from selling the secrets to an unnamed foreign power. Information *A failed Quinn Martin pilot, this movie eventually aired as an NBC Monday Movie. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075862/plotsummary *Roy Thinnes also appeared in the General Hospital shorts that accompanied Manhunt in Space, The Beatniks, and ''Crash of Moons''.'' *France Nuyen played the title character in the classic ''Star Trek episode "Elaan of Troyius." *Eric Braeden is probably best known as Victor from TV’s The Young and the Restless. *Ian MacShane starred on TV's Lovejoy, and more recently starred as Al Swearengen in the HBO series Deadwood. The Episode Host Segments Prologue: Mike and the Bots marvel over how dirty others' lifestyles are as they are living in their own filth. They ponder a unknown smell. Segment One: The Bots look for the source of the mystery odor. The Mads are grossed out by the SOL crew and end up trying to top each other in cleanliness. Mike and the Bots clean up the SOL. Segment Two: Tom and Crow think Mike is too nice, so Magic Voice shows them what it would be like if Mike weren’t so nice. Mike spoofs Robert De Niro's character from the movie This Boy's Life Segment Three: Crow and Tom want to play, but Mike is too busy. Their complaints allow Magic Voice to show them what it would be like to live with a Crash Test Dummy. Segment Four: Tom and Crow complain about Mike's cooking, and so Magic Voice shows Crow and Tom what it would be like to live with the Frugal Gourmet. Segment Five: Mike and the bots have a luau on the SOL to celebrate the end of the movie. Tom dances the hula, interpreting a letter. The Mads are still obsessing about cleanliness. Stinger: "Aaaahhh! Johnny! Down there!" Trivia * "Controller" Tim Johnson appears for the first time in the credits and would remain for the rest of the series. Callbacks * "Disgusting worrrm!" (Outlaw) * "This looks like Daddy-O’s room," * "There’s a lotta money here, Mitchell!" * "This is so almost Mitchell!" Mikedeniro.png|''This Boy's Life'' Mike Mikedifferent1.png|Crash Test Dummy Mike Gourmentmike.png|Cooking Mike Obscure References * The running gag about the crew not placing Tree's henchman. The actor none of the crew can place is Eric Braeden, best known for appearing on The Rat Patrol and a few daytime soaps. However, when he appeared on The Rat Patrol he was still using the name "Hans Gudegast", further adding to the crew's confusion over his identity. * "Well hello, e nomine Patris." E nomine Patris is Latin for In the name of the Father. *''"He raises Dead End Kids!"'' The Dead End Kids, later known by such names as the Little Tough Guys and the Bowery Boys, appeared in a series of comedy films beginning in the 1930s. * "Tell 'em what they've won, Johnny Olson." Johnny Olson was the announcer on many game shows, including The Match Game ''and ''The Price is Right. *''"Later, these moths turn up in the mouths of Bob's victims!"'' A reference to the fictional serial killer Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb from The Silence of the Lambs, who placed Death's Head moths in his victims' mouths. *''"Hi, I'm Jeanie at DeVry!"'' A reference to a commercial for the DeVry Institute, a nationwide chain of adult-education centers, now known as DeVry University. *''"Come back to AT&T. Where're you're 'Friends & Family' now?"'' A reference to an long distance sales campaign launched by Sprint during the 1980s known as the 'Friends & Family' plan which directly targeted dissatisfied AT&T customers. This plan allowed a Sprint customer to make phone calls to any other registered 'Friend & Family' member for a discounted rate, and gave a bonus to any customer who recommended a new user to change to Sprint. *''"Vatican II: The Final Reckoning!"'' The Second Vatican Council (also known as "Vatican II") was held from 1962–65 and resulted in significant modernization of many of the Catholic Church's doctrines and rituals. *''"Mr. Woodman!" "Look, Kotter, I don't like your kids!"'' Mike and Crow are commenting on an actor's resemblance to Mr. Woodman, the assistant principal from the TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. * "Heh! That Loudon Wainwright..." Spoken by Crow at the beginning of Host Segment Two as he is reading a Life Magazine issue about Rock and Roll. Loudon Wainwright is a singer-songwriter whose music tends more towards the folk-y and occasionally humorous. *''"Turn it off! Turn it off!"'' Crow is imitating George C. Scott (as a father watching his daughter's appearance in a pornographic film) in the 1979 movie Hardcore. *''(singing) "Pick a little, talk a little, pick a little, talk a little,'' cheep cheep cheep..." A song named "Pickalittle (Talk-a-Little)" from the musical . *''"...going as John Waters!"'' John Waters is a filmmaker who made a name for himself with intentionally offensive movies such as Pink Flamingos. One of his defining physical characteristics is his thin, well-groomed moustache. *''"The Eiger Sanction had more Hawaiian locations that this movie!"'' The Eiger Sanction is a 1975 thriller film starring Clint Eastwood as an assassin ordered to kill a mountain climber in the Swiss Alps. *''"Rope had more Hawaiian locations than this movie"'' Reference to the 1948 Hitchcock thriller set entirely in an apartment. *''"I'm here for the Daniel Inouye fundraiser."'' Daniel Inouye was a long-serving U.S. Senator from Hawaii. *''"He's gonna have a Montclair Moment any minute now."'' A reference to an old advertising campaign for Montclair cigarettes. *''"Ted Turner in Frenzy!"'' Frenzy was a 1972 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Ted Turner is a media mogul known for his distinctive moustache. *Patch me through to Yarnell!'' "And Shields!"'' Shields and Yarnell were a mime duo who had their own variety TV show during the 1970s. *''"We got a lot of money here, Mitchell!"'' ''A line from Martin Balsam's character at the end of Experiment #512 ''Mitchell. * "Shirley Hemphill!" Shirley Hemphill played the sassy waitress Shirley in the sitcom What's Happening!!. * "Captain Stubing!" "Merrill." A reference to the Captain of the titular ship from The Love Boat. * "Okay, let's flip it over to ''Hec Ramsey."'' Hec Ramsey was a short-lived NBC Western television show in the early 70's produced by Jack Webb. Video releases *Commercially released on DVD by Shout! Factory in March 2012 as part of Volume XXIII, a 4-disc set along with King Dinosaur, The Castle of Fu Manchu, and Last of the Wild Horses. **The DVD includes the Ballyhoo Motion Pictures feature Codename: Quinn Martin and Life After MST3K: Kevin Murphy. Category:MST3K Episodes Category:Season 6 Category:Episodes with shorts Category:TV Pilot Category:1970s movies Category:Spy film Category:Unrated movies Category:Episodes directed by Kevin Murphy